Resources for making graphic novels, comics, zines

[lunabee34]

I have a colleague who wants her students to make some kind of physical (rather than digital), artistic artifact based on the lit they are reading. Does anybody have links to resources for making comics, graphic novels, or zines that I could point her to? Or does anybody have just general comments I could share with her?

No one will be graded on artistic ability or anything like that, and they'll work in groups; she's just looking for something fun and different for them to do. She mentioned getting her grandson a fill-in-your-own-comic book and thought something like that might be helpful.

IDK

Deferring to your greater collected wisdom.

Comments

[sholio]

Here are some resources on making minicomics and zines, with explanations of different sizes and formats:

http://quirkbooks.com/post/how-make-mini-comic-part-1
https://jessicaabel.com/resources/diy/making-minicomics/

The first link in particular explains how to make simple, one-page folded zines in several sizes.

Here is a guide to making one-page zines (one version; there are several ways to do it) with lots of helpful pictures:
http://experimentwithnature.com/03-found/experiment-with-paper-how-to-make-a-one-page-zine/#.XhZwJRdKjMU

She can also find some printable instructions by searching for "one page zine template".

If she lives in a medium to large city or a college town, I bet there's some kind of local zine show or a comic shop/indy bookstore that has a few she could pick up to show her students what they look like.

Another possibility might be a scrapbook in which each student makes a page and they put it all together at the end of the class, or her students could each have their own (any little blank book will do) and make a page for each book they read by glueing in pictures, printed text, and so forth.

[lunabee34]

Oh, sweet. Thank you, thank you!! I was hoping you would comment since I know you have a lot of relevant experience.

And such a little thing, but thank you so much for using raw links so I can easily just cut and paste to her. You are a rock star!!!

[cathexys]

I don't have his assignment, but a history prof at my school has his students do board games. I thought that was really neat :)

[lunabee34]

That sounds really cool. I have a couple of colleagues who are turning their whole classes into games using the Reacting to the Past model:

https://reacting.barnard.edu/

It is really neat. I was unable to attend the conference we had at my institution about it, but it sounds really neat.

[cathexys]

Oh yes, I've heard nothing but positive responses on those approaches for years from history profs.

Other innovative things: I have a colleague who follows the Socratic model and has her philosophy students walk outside while discussing class :)

[lunabee34]

Oh, man. I would love that. I didn't used to care much one way or the other, but as I get older, being outside has started to make me feel so much better, especially in the sunshine.